Hiding

June 04, 2025

I woke this morning to the frantic yipping and growling of our dog Loki.  I went into the dining room to see what was wrong and he was standing at the picture window looking onto the flower bed.  This behavior is usually attributed to the neighborhood cats who like to stroll leisurely across our lawn.  Our yard has also been attracting a few eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) that he barks at.  As I have left the house, I see them lying under the knockout rose bush (Rosa “Radrazz”) in the middle of the yard or sitting next to the hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) in the front bed.  I am surprised they do not pay much attention to me as I leave the house.  Last week I found three rabbits sitting in the yard, but they took off when I came out.  Loki’s manner said this was something different.  When I looked closer, I saw a rabbit nestling beneath the tree.  She had made a little bed among the succulents and appeared to be preparing to have her kittens.  She was hiding in plain sight.

When I went online, I found Eastern cotton tails often make their nest in open areas, or hiding in plain sight.  This behavior is used to discourage the predators that are too timid to enter those areas.  The mother rabbit cares for the babies in a way that limits her time in the nest, making it less likely a predator will find the nest.  Rabbit mothers nurse for approximately 5 minutes a day, once in the morning and again in the evening.  They do not “sit” on the babies to keep them warm like some mammals and birds but instead build a nest with fur and grass which helps to keep the babies warm in between feedings.  The home range is roughly circular, and a rabbit typically inhabits one range throughout their life.  A range averages 1.4 acres (0.57 hectares) for adult males and 1.2 acres (0.49 hectares) for adult females but vary in size from 0.5 to 40 acres (0.20 to 16.19 hectares), depending on season, habitat quality, and individual.  Adult males have larger ranges during breeding season.  Multiple and a nesting rabbit say we will have rabbits hiding in our yard for the foreseeable future.  

When a nest hiding in plain sight is discovered many assume it has been “abandonded” and want to help.  Less than 10% of orphaned rabbits survive a week and the care attempted can be illegal, unnecessary, and potentially harmful.  To determine if the mother is returning, create a tic-tac-toe pattern over the nest with twigs and wait 24 hours to see if the twigs have been removed.  If they have been moved the mother is coming back.  You can also listen to the amount of time the kittens spend crying.  The kittens should be quiet most of the day, and if they are constantly crying, they are not being fed.  If you find a nest that has been disturbed, do all you can to restore and protect it rather than bring the kittens inside.  If a dog has discovered the nest (Loki is not out front), you can put a wheelbarrow or a wicker laundry basket with a hole cut in it to allow the mother to enter.  If you come across a rabbit nest in the wild and the mother is not there, leave them alone.  If you remove them from the nest, you will greatly reduce their chance of survival.  If you are in doubt about what to do and want to help, the best thing is to contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area. 

THOUGHTS: Finding the rabbit trying to build a nest hiding in plain sight gave me pause.  The presence was driving Loki nuts, and I knew if I did not do something we would have an active nest.  This year the bed includes tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), squash (Cucurbita pepo), and red onions (Allium cepa), so I will be weeding close to the nest.  Melissa pointed out the rabbit did not move when we went to look at it, and even when I went to the mailbox it ran away and immediately came back.  I have decided to leave the choice to the mother.  Wanting to help has often put humans in conflict.  While humanitarian aid should be provided, changing lifestyle is the choice of the person wanting help, not the aid giver.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.